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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29606703">Dwooty</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenisher/pseuds/Greenisher'>Greenisher</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The rewards of being loved [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Owl House (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Everyone Is Doing Their Best, F/F, Teacher Lilith Clawthorne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 03:01:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,807</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29606703</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenisher/pseuds/Greenisher</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm connecting the dots." Luz said, after a moment of silence, leaning back, fingers in the air.</p><p>Amity leaned back, trying to see what she was doing. But she couldn't see anything but the woods by the Owl House. "What dots? You're not connecting anything."</p><p>"I'm connecting them!"</p><p> —</p><p>An art class goes mildly wrong. Good thing the Bad Girls Coven could always use an animated Hooty painting.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amity Blight &amp; Lilith Clawthorne, Amity Blight &amp; Luz Noceda &amp; Willow Park &amp; Gus Porter, Amity Blight/Luz Noceda</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The rewards of being loved [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119710</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>167</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dwooty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Since when do you take classes that aren’t related to abominations?” Gus asked, sitting on the edge of Amity's desk, kicking his little feet. The two of them were in a small classroom, a mixture of students from different tracks mingling, talking. Magical drawing 1. Art class.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fun,” She said, staring directly ahead. “Why are you here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll have you know, </span>
  <em>
    <span>illusion</span>
  </em>
  <span> is the greatest art of all,” he drew a circle in the air and a beautiful, shimmering vision of a river covered in water lilies sprang to being in the air. That was good. Gus was </span>
  <em>
    <span>really good</span>
  </em>
  <span> at this. Amity folded her sketchbook back into her shirt, feeling very insecure. “I came to better myself.” Without asking, he took the seat at the desk next to her. “I don’t think I’ve ever drawn with a pen and paper though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay. That felt better. She lowered the sketchbook very slightly. Gus leaned to look at it. “Is that your sketchbook? Can I look at it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, rats,” he settled beside her, pulling out a new sketchbook, opening to a blank page. “Can you give me any pointers?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want to draw?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about drawing you?” He asked. “You draw me and I’ll draw you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” that didn’t sound like a trap. She opened her own sketchbook to a new page, and peered at him. Drew a circle to start, and then two lines through the middle, one horizontal, one vertical, to be guides. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that how we start?” Gus asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It serves as a guideline,” she said. “So the eyes are on the same level and in the same area.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gus did the same. “And then hair?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sketch out the roughest guideline first,” she offered. “And then add details.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice! Hey, are you going to give Luz the thing today?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get back to drawing, Gus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gus was sticking his tongue out, sketching, when Luz and Willow finally got into the classroom. He turned and waved to them, big smile. “Guys! We’re drawing each other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What!” Luz ran over, pulling up a third chair to their desks. “Oh man, I want </span>
  <em>
    <span>in</span>
  </em>
  <span> on this action. Can I see what you’ve drawn?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it’s nothing,” Amity went red. Luz was even better than she was… “Just a picture of Gus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah man, it’s really good,” Luz said, peering over her shoulder. “Willow, look!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is,” Willow agreed, which felt like a triumph in and of itself. “That’s really nice, both of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And didn’t that just feel good. She beamed, peering down at the picture of Gus. Gus spun his own round to show her, and she couldn’t help but laugh. The eyes were uneven and one part of her hair was shorter than the other, but it was very-- touching? Was she touched? She turned her own around to show him and he said, “Oh wow! Can I keep it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure. Just...don’t tell anyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Total secret,” Gus said eagerly, taking the paper and carefully storing it. Amity pointed at his drawing. “Oh right!” He said, and took it out, handing it to her. She slipped it into one of her denser textbooks, one nobody would look through. They grinned at each other, very quickly, before Amity looked away. Luz and Willow were drawing each other. Luz was carefully sketching a near photo-realistic picture of Willow, who was laughing as she drew a stickman. It was nice to see Willow happy, Amity decided. She could work on ways to make her smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the teacher stepped in, a bipedal alligator bedecked in a rainbow sweater with glittering jewelry, she waved her claws for silence. “Art!” She began, “Is the greatest expression of the soul!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The class devolved from there, more or less. Luz was more helpful than the teacher. “You’ve got to break things into shapes,” she explained to Gus and Willow quietly, “see? And now we can start joining them up…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the end, they had a set of four serviceable moving paintings. Willow had painted Gus as a slightly developed stick figure with bouncy curls that waved to people that passed by his frame. Gus’s was a giraffe (“long tube, then another tube for the head, and two more for the horns!” as Luz had explained) speckled with blood, and sharper teeth than she remembered giraffes having. Occasionally it would bare its teeth and growl at passers-by. She'd painted an otter that floated calmly in a pool of water. Luz had painted Hooty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yours is the scariest," Gus said, as the Hooty painting followed him around the room with its eyes, its mouth unmoving. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's supposed to be wiggling friend-ily," Luz frowned. "I can't get it to move more than that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let me help!" Gus stepped forward and drew a circle with his finger. Almost immediately the paint began to warp as the Hooty simulacrum pressed against the bounds of the painting, pushing out into the third dimension. “Oh no!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luz stepped back, grabbing Amity’s arm. Amity stepped in front of her as painting twisted and lengthened, reaching out to them, its beak snapping open and closed. “Nope,” she said, raising a finger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Willow moved faster, reaching back to grab one of the plants that had been used as still life practise; it shifted and grew, tendrils wrapping around the painting, holding it down. “There we go!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Willow to the rescue!” Luz jumped out from behind Amity to hug her. “Oh! But what do we do with Drawing Hooty? Dwooty?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t take another haunted portrait home,” Gus said, sombrely. “Not after last time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Last time?” Luz asked, narrowing her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t take it either,” Willow frowned. “I totally would. If I could! But I’ve already filled up our kitchen with plants, and my dads asked if I could wait for them to build me a greenhouse before we take more home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess you’re coming with me, Dwooty!” Luz picked up the frame. Inside the plant wrappings, Dwooty made a horrifying noise. “Yeesh! It’s not like it’s that bad. Good thing the leaves’ll hide the painting from Hooty. He doesn’t take well to other owls in his territory.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think Hooty counts as an owl,” Amity muttered. “Owls are wise and noble.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’ve never gotten into a physical fight with an owl,” Luz said, off-hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not yet,” Gus agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luz had gangly teenage arms to go with her gangly teenage legs, but even her limbs weren’t long enough to properly get a grasp on the portrait. Amity, of course, volunteered to help her carry Dwooty back. With one of them holding the back of the canvas and the other holding the front, they could get enough leverage to keep it up all the way back to the Owl House. Nobody was home, and Hooty was asleep, so they were able to smuggle it through the door and up the stairs to Luz’s room. “I guess we’ll keep it here til Eda gets back,” Luz said, thinking. “Maybe she knows a spell to make Dwooty less unabashedly violent and evil.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Could be his nature,” Amity suggested, thinking of the real Hooty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should give him a chance,” Luz said, nodding to herself. “Who knows! He might turn out to be really cool!” Cogs whirred in Amity’s head. She opened her mouth to suggest something when Luz turned, a big smile on her face. “Anyway! We’re all alone for a few hours. And I’ve done all my homework. You know what that means?” She leaned in conspiratorially. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Secret Azura book club?” Amity asked, smiling so wide her face hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Secret Azura book club!” Luz cheered at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’d begun rereading from the first book, alternating chapters. One would sit up and read aloud while the other leaned into them. At the end of each chapter, they’d swap, one picking up and the other cuddling against them. Amity usually finished her sections by dropping a little kiss on Luz’s forehead, just for the nice warm feeling that came with kissing. Luz usually got so into it that she had to be reminded that the chapter was up, and then she’d gaze up at Amity with sparkling brown eyes, reacting to every new scene as though it were the first time she’d heard of it, sending that flock of bats in Amity’s stomach flitting around all over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door downstairs opened while she was listening to Luz read her second chapter, following along with her own copy. "Lilith's back," Amity said, interrupting with a glance towards the door. "And she's annoyed."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luz followed her gaze, looking nonplussed. "How can you tell?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Amity's turn now to look confused. "You can't?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nope. I thought it could be Eda. And happy!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, Eda came in ten minutes ago. She was stomping a bit. A little grouchy. it's Lilith. Her footsteps are slightly lighter. And I can tell she's angry because of how fast she's walking." Amity turned the page of her book. When she looked up, Luz was peering down at her. "Can you... really not- You really can't tell?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is it a witch thing?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I thought it was an everyone thing," Amity frowned. It was standard practice, at least, back at home. If she was able to correctly deduce which of her parents was coming up the stairs and their mood - angry, annoyed, antagonistic, scornful, the usual four moods of a parent - she could respond quickly. It was easier to keep yourself safe if you could anticipate what was coming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which was probably why Odalia was an oracle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luz reached over and stroked her hair, fingertips finding the fuzz of her undercut. "Maybe," she said, gently. "I hope Lilith's okay. She's been busy lately."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amity wanted to test her by saying, </span>
  <em>
    <span>doing what?</span>
  </em>
  <span> But couldn't bear to have Luz act evasive. It was one thing for her former mentor to act as though she was totally untrustworthy. It would be worse if it was Luz. “She does seem unhinged.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re all weirdos. That’s why we stick together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Did Lilith count as a </span>
  <em>
    <span>weirdo</span>
  </em>
  <span>? What was weird about her? What secrets did Lilith hide? Behind her, Luz had borrowed her scroll and was messaging someone through Penstagram. Amity rubbed her chin in thought. “Does Lilith read books?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only books on history, military theory, and wild magic textbooks,” Luz said, frowning at the scroll. “Gus and Willow say they can’t tell people and moods from footsteps. I think it’s a you thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The twins can do it too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe it’s a Blight thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” she said, feeling uneasy about it all. “What are you going to do about...you called him Dwooty?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Luz slapped a hand to her forehead. “I completely blanked! I was going to ask Eda if she’d like it! She could probably figure out a way to use it! Come on, she’ll be downstairs!” She leapt to her feet, already running for the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait- Luz! You didn’t even pick up the portrait!” Amity followed, stopping to grab the framed painting as she did, arms barely fitting around the canvas, moving it with difficulty. Through the insulation of vines Dwooty let out an otherworldly growl. She growled right back at it. “Don’t you </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luz crashed downstairs and ran into the kitchen, almost barrelling right into Eda, who stopped her with a hand to her head, not looking. She was busy examining a cookbook being held up by her detached right arm. “Sometimes I swear you could power half of Bonesborough with your misguided enthusiasm,” she said as greeting. “What’s going on, Luz?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guess what we did at school!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Recited boring facts and memorised quiz answers instead of truly understanding the subjects?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ouch! But no, we painted! Look!” Luz gently took the portrait from Amity, peeling away a little of the vines. The moment his vision was clear, Dwooty began to rise from the painting once more emitting a horrifying sound; a cross between bones being ground in a blender and nails on a chalkboard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There came a shriek from across the house as Hooty spotted Dwooty, and screamed “</span>
  <em>
    <span>INTERLOPER!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>As Luz and Eda covered their ears, (“Really kid? You thought this was a good idea?”) Amity put a little bit of distance between the scene and herself, taking three or four steps back into the living room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d forgotten Lilith was here. But the sharp clearing of a throat behind her was a stabbing reminder. Slowly she turned to look at the older woman. “Amity Blight,” she said, and didn’t smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lilith.” There were boards filled with information behind her. Amity resisted the urge to peek, instead folding her arms across her chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s with the,” Lilith gestured at the room the yells were coming from. “Whatever that is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hooty saw another owl.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That tracks,” Lilith admitted. She cocked her head to one side, eyeing Amity. “So why did you come in here? Shouldn’t you be off chewing on the human upstairs? Or whatever it is the two of you do.” Amity, very red, gestured in the direction of the kitchen as a loud crash shook the house. “...Good point.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not here to </span>
  <em>
    <span>spy</span>
  </em>
  <span> on you,” Amity said, voice hard. “Whatever you may think. I’m here because my girlfriend is here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t you have more space and quiet in Blight Manor?” Lilith asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amity’s ears went hot and red. “This is better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They eyed each other across the room. Amity was the first to break the silence. “I don’t know if you’re being so weird and evasive and secretive because you don’t trust me,” she tried to put her anger at every slight over the last few months into her glare. “Or you think I’ll tell someone whatever it is you’re up to, you’re wrong. I’m here for Luz. That’s all. I don’t care about whatever,” she huffed, waving at the board, “I don’t know, strategy for Griffin Polo you’re working on. I’m only here for her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lilith rested her arm on the top of her blackboard, releasing a loud sigh as she shut her eyes tight. She seemed to be thinking about something. Finally, just as Amity was preparing to leave, she said, “And what about your dream?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My dream?” Oh no. Was she broadcasting what she dreamed about when she slept, now? She was going to have to answer a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> of weird questions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To join the emperor’s coven.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” oh she meant </span>
  <em>
    <span>ambition</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Thank the Titan for that. “What about it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had that dream once too,” Lilith said, looking out of the window. In the distance, she heard Dwooty scream and Eda shout a variation of </span>
  <em>
    <span>tie him down!</span>
  </em>
  <span> “To make it come true, I destroyed the life of the person closest to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I made a mistake,” Lilith’s jaw set. “One I couldn’t overcome. I was offered the chance to join and I threw all of my morals aside. I did something that hurt someone I loved, and I set her on a long path, filled with heartache. I don’t want you to do the same.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amity stared back at her, perplexed and more than a little annoyed. “Why would I? Why are you worried about </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because we’re more than a little similar, you and I. You've been devoted to your dream of joining the Emperor's Coven for as long as I've known you," Lilith said, and her voice was quiet, steel beneath velvet. "Just like I was. And I was so determined that I made a mistake. I betrayed the person who meant the most to me in the world. And I destroyed her life." Lilith leaned forward, staring at her searchingly. "I'm not worried about </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> conscience if you make the same mistake as I did. I'm worried about what'll happen to </span>
  <em>
    <span>them</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Them. Luz and Eda. Did Lilith think--?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We are not the same," she said, quietly but firmly. "You wanted to become part of the system. Part of...what, the whole? The whole machine? I…" It was so hard to articulate what she wanted. But she thought she could. She thought she could. "I wanted to become the head of the emperor's coven so that I knew I was strong enough to never be used again. Not by my mother. Not by you. Not by anyone. I don't want to serve the emperor. I want to be so powerful that you </span>
  <em>
    <span>fear</span>
  </em>
  <span> me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lilith's expression changed. She'd been listening intently, but something about her face grew soft, sad. "You don't want to be used."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No. I told you. I want to be so powerful that--"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Power doesn't stop others from using you," Lilith said. "I'm not sure anything truly can. There will always be people out there who aren't scared of seeing even emperors and titans as pieces on a board, of cards in Hexas Hold'em. You just have to be aware," she was looking somewhere far away. "Be aware that some people see you only as a piece on the board to serve their own purpose."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Like you," Amity said, voice icy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lilith deflated again. Was that genuine guilt? Did she understand? "I know what I did wasn't good. But I suppose you have better knowledge now than others what it's like to be used in a war by proxy."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't say that as though the experience was </span>
  <em>
    <span>valuable</span>
  </em>
  <span> Lilith. Don't misrepresent it." Her teeth grit in her jaw. "You tricked me. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>used</span>
  </em>
  <span> me. And you never even </span>
  <em>
    <span>bothered</span>
  </em>
  <span> to--"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Check in on you?" Lilith cut in. "I didn't. I'm not going to stand here and pretend I've got no shortcomings."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You have </span>
  <em>
    <span>a lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> of shortcomings. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So many</span>
  </em>
  <span> shortcomings."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But things are dire."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Perhaps you could explain why? Or will you just go back to being an ominous weirdo who thinks she's better than everyone--" Amity stopped herself. She'd begun to step closer, close the gap between them, her finger jabbing. Now she paused, realising that Lilith was about another foot taller than she was. She forced herself to look up, chin jutting out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lilith folded her arms. "Are you done venting?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Keep going, then."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're too tall and you only think I'm going to make the same mistakes you did because you never bothered to get to know me!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's... that's fair," Lilith admitted. "Not the tall part. The rest. How old are you now? Sixteen?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fifteen</span>
  </em>
  <span>." Pause. "Nearly."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A little younger than I was."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I keep telling you </span>
  <em>
    <span>I'm not going to make your mistake!</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Perhaps not," the woman fell silent, stepping away to peer at the corner of the room where she kept her diagrams, her notes. "Follow me," she said. "Let's see if you make my mistake."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amity followed her, a pit in her stomach. The room was quiet, a blackboard in one corner where Lilith had been writing notes in cursive so neat that Amity couldn't read it. "Here," Lilith said. "The Emperor's plans, as far as I understood them from when I was his right hand, updated as I learn of them from my...sources still within the coven. And what he's likely to do next. Based on conjecture, rumour, and occasionally real information."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lilith folded her arms. Amity noticed that the red at the top of her head had begun to grow more, two inches or so of roots now showing. Her hair was beginning to curl. An interesting change. "As the emperor's coven, our primary objective was to bring Eda in. Luz let me know it was for her doorway to the human world, which she destroyed when she fought him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll leave time for questions at the end. Since then, the emperor's coven has been largely tasked with investigating rumours of liminal spaces, doorways, places where our plane intersects with the human world."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The Human Isles," Amity said, unconsciously mirroring Lilith's folded arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"As well as with hunting down those who disagree with the emperor. They're stretched thin. The emperor's coven is the best of the best, but that means there's very few of us--" she noticed her slip, and shook her head. "Of </span>
  <em>
    <span>them</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Which means he's had to bring in other covens to cover. He has the oracle coven continuously scrying the future and the present. The construction coven has been set to work making what appear to be siege engines. And the abomination coven building more or less an </span>
  <em>
    <span>army</span>
  </em>
  <span> of abominations."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That...didn't sound good. Amity thought of her parents and felt her stomach twist. "Do you think he's going to try and invade the Human Isles?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He kept mentioning a Day of Unity," Lilith touched her chin. Amity did the same unconsciously. "From what we've gathered...that's his plan. To make the human world and Boiling Isles one."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It won't work."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I agree," Lilith said. "It's overly simplistic, and quite obvious. And if </span>
  <em>
    <span>every</span>
  </em>
  <span> human is like Luz, then he's going into a losing battle. </span>
  <em>
    <span>One</span>
  </em>
  <span> Luz might not be able to go toe-to-toe with him yet, but a hundred of her…"</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don't think too hard about a hundred Luzs</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Amity told herself sternly, already feeling the blush. She shook it off. "So you think he's planning something else?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think he's covering something," Lilith agreed. "I've kept an eye on who's talking to who. You don't scrape your way up to head of the emperor's coven without gaining allies, after all." In profile, she held her head up high like a proud bird of prey, back straight, eyes sharp. Despite everything, Amity felt a pang of mingled love and admiration. Lilith was a powerhouse. "He's not only looking into liminal spaces and doorways. He's been looking at relics of titans, gathering them. Looking for anything that might make curses easier to deal with, anything that could cure them."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"To take your piece off the gameboard." Lilith gave her a sharp look. But nodded, slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You caught on. Good." Lilith gazed at her board, at her plans. "We've been working on protection and defense above all else. If our suppliers are run out of town, we have most of the ingredients to keep the curse at bay, as long as I can remember how the potion works. It's been a while since I was at school. We have witch's wool, we have barriers we can set up. We can keep our home safe while we try to understand what his plans are truly. Merging the Boiling Isles and human isles are definitely a false flag."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something didn't seem right. Amity looked at the floor. "And you're doing something else. Something that you're not going to tell me because you know my mom is scrying for the emperor and my dad is building abominations."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lilith nodded. "Yes. I've told you quite enough already. And I'll know if you break and tell Odalia or pass on our information in exchange for a nice position in the emperor's coven."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I am not </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>," Amity said, finger jabbing directly at Lilith again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lilith ignored the finger. "I will do what I have to to protect my family. Even if it hurts your feelings."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They're my family too!" She said, and meant it as she turned on her heel and marched out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>From a distance she thought she heard Lilith mutter, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Teenagers</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amity wasn’t sure why she’d marched out. Especially when she had no intentions of returning to the manor. She’d just needed time to herself to breathe, and outside seemed like a better place to do it than inside. She’d tried waiting directly outside the door to take breaths, but Hooty had reappeared from his fight with his usual enthusiasm and she just...couldn’t deal with him. Instead, she’d found a log about twenty feet away from The Owl House and was watching the sky turn from light to dark blue, when Luz came back out. "Sitting on a log, huh?" Luz said, approaching.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not coming back inside."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And Hooty says you threatened to bite him," Luz sat down on the log next to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," she admitted. "I did do that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She folded her arms, looking at her feet. Luz watched her, concern written all over her face, before asking, "Did you just feel like chilling out here?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," she lied, and hugged her arms tighter. "Just chilling. Out here. It's fine."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm connecting the dots." Luz said, after a moment of silence, leaning back, fingers in the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amity leaned back, trying to see what she was doing. But she couldn't see anything but the woods by the Owl House. "What dots? You're not connecting anything."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm connecting them!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There are no dots."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luz turned to her. "You and Lilith talked about what's going on. Those are the dots! That's why you're hanging out outside here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amity shrugged, folding her arms, ready to be tough in the face of Luz immediately rumbling her. But then Luz wrapped her arm around her shoulders and she collapsed in on herself like a soufflé. "If I'm here she's going to think I'm just here so I can learn stuff to feed to my mom and dad but if I go then she'll think I'm gonna tell them anyway-- and I'm not gonna tell them! But how would she even know that?" She gestured wildly with her hands as Luz squeezed her shoulders comfortingly. "It's ridiculous! Why do I even </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> her to accept me? She's terrible! She's the worst!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luz kissed her temple, which cut off her rant. Sticking her bottom lip out, she slid down against her side, shifted to rest her head on Luz's chest and listen to the gentle beat of her heart. "Do you want me to talk to Lilith?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No," she said, muffled against Luz's hoodie. Luz rested her cheek on her head, her other arm coming round to encircle her. Despite her annoyance, despite her sadness, she felt herself relax. After a few minutes she looked up and smiled. "Thanks, Luz. You always know what to say."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I didn't really say anything."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You always know what to do. That's the same." She didn't want to sit up, but she made herself. Luz left one arm around her shoulder. "Hey," Amity said, after she'd decided she'd enjoyed this moment for long enough. "I got you something at the market."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What! A gift! From you? I'm so excited!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From her bag, Amity retrieved a small paper bag. Unwrapping it revealed it to contain two small bracelets, slim and black, with blank charms the shape and size of a coin. "Look," she wrapped one bracelet around Luz's wrist. "And I have a matching one," she added, showing it, snapping it around her own wrist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ooohhh," Luz examined the bracelet carefully, fingers brushing the face of the charm bound into it. "This looks nice! Like a watch with no time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And if we're apart we can still communicate."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Through Penstagram?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No," Amity said. "Well....yes. But with these too. Look at this," she tapped the face of her charm; it flashed in rainbows and then Luz's charm lit up in the pattern of a light rune. Luz's face grew bright, and she threw her arounds around Amity's shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh my gosh! It's so cute! How did you make these?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I didn't," how did she </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> get so red? "But I found a store selling them. I thought they'd be good. So if you're thinking of me you can tap it and I'll know you're thinking of me. And...and vice-versa."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm gonna spend hours tapping it," Luz said, nodding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hopefully not." Hopefully yes. That would be nice. For the first hour, at least. "Gus actually helped me pick them out. He said they look like human watches."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Man, you are Gus being best friends is so cute!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Gus isn't my best friend! I'm a lone wolf. I don't need a best friend," she said, folding her arms. “We only talk because we both know the pressures of being a top student, so we can share studying tips. That’s it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luz smiled at her, resting her chin in her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Gus might be my best friend," Amity admitted, because she couldn't actively lie with Luz looking directly at her. "He knows a lot about humans, alright? And I am also interested in...</span>
  <em>
    <span>a</span>
  </em>
  <span> human."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This human!" Luz cried, wrapping her arms around Amity's shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My human," she agreed, letting the hug happen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Truth be told, only about fifty percent of her and Gus's texts were human related. He'd managed to worm his way into her regular text correspondents by sending her multiple memes, and a stealthily taken photo of Edric picking his nose behind the illusions professor's back. Total blackmail shot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> point further to Gus being her best friend though. Damn.)</span>
</p><p><span>"</span><em><span>Your</span></em> <em><span>human</span></em><span> feels like some brinner," Luz held out her arm. "Are you staying? Wanna have dinner with me?"</span></p><p>
  <span>"Brinner's a human food?" Amity guessed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kinda," Luz grinned at her. "It's breakfast for dinner."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, I see," Amity nodded fondly, smiling at Luz's face, reaching over to touch the back of her neck and gently rub the back of her hair. "Cereal."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No-- well? Maybe? I was thinking more pancakes!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can make those?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh yeah! I used to cook for my mom all the time. And I cook for Eda too! Like tostones and some Morir Soñando…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I...don't know what those are."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll make them for you! You'll love them," Luz's hand sneaked up to rest on her shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Probably," she agreed. She tended to like most things Luz made, even when others didn't. Luz had accidentally gotten distracted and mixed up salt and sugar the other day at dinner and Amity had eaten every bite of her incredibly sweet stew and then most of Eda's as well. It was just nice to be around Luz in general.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ohh," she said, leaning in. "What if we cooked together? I can make my speciality and you can make yours!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I…" She felt a sudden stab of embarrassment. "I don't have a speciality. I don't actually know how to cook."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's not so bad. I can show you the basics," Luz's foot tapped hers. "It'll be fun! Oh man, I can show you all the pans! And the </span>
  <em>
    <span>knives</span>
  </em>
  <span>! And the </span>
  <em>
    <span>spices</span>
  </em>
  <span>!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a creaking noise as Hooty slid out of his place on the door to make his presence known. "Maybe you can make </span>
  <em>
    <span>meeee</span>
  </em>
  <span> some dinner. My favourite is bugs!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amity put both hands on Luz's shoulders. "Tell me more about the knives."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luz shooed Hooty away, and laughed. She scooped Amity up and stood. "Wanna come on in? Even though Lilith is there?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah. She'd gotten so distracted by her own gayness that she'd forgotten about Lilith. That was a downside to being head over heels. She slipped her arm around Luz's shoulders and touched her hand to her cheek. "I don't mind," she said. "Do you think…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh no. Don't say it. Don't come off as someone who wants to </span>
  <em>
    <span>be around people</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you think things would be easier if I was here all the time? Like...Lilith wouldn't have to worry about me taking information to my parents, or joining the emperor's coven. And I could stay here with you, and we could...hang out all the time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Welp. That was bad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luz beamed and said, "I'd love that! I bet the others would agree in no time! And I just </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> Lilith and you'll get along </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> much better if you had more time!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not what she wanted. Definitely not. Lilith was the </span>
  <em>
    <span>worst</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Plus," Luz was continuing, "We'll get to kiss a lot which I think is great. And we can read to each other! Oh! And cuddle up every evening! Which I love, by the way, even when you wake me up at night by rolling me over."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Being the big spoon is a sacred responsibility." She folded her arms. "I have to move us back into the right formation if I find you've moved out of it while sleeping."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know, I know," Luz's voice was fond. "Oh my gosh. We can write fanfiction together! Finally, a beta reader for my three hundred thousand word oc romance fic!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That is a lot of words," Amity put her arms back around Luz's shoulders, and prepared herself to say something unbelievably cringey, leaning in so that only Luz would hear. "What if I just promise to love you forever?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luz sat down hard, nearly dropping her, both of them yelping. "Sorry! My knees got all weak." She had gone very red. Amity held her face and they gazed into each other's eyes for a long moment. "My favourite colour is gold," Luz said, suddenly. "It used to be purple but it's gold now and I never figured out why until--" she broke eye contact, bashful. "I think you've got the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amity went a shade of red never before seen in nature. Leaning in, she touched her nose to Luz's, and said, "Everything about you is the best and most beautiful thing in my life." Which was cheesy, and awful, and even more cringe than what she'd said before. Love was terrible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Awwuh." Luz kissed her forehead, and then her cheeks and nose, until Amity managed to wriggle away, laughing. "You're so cute." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amity pulled her close and pressed her forehead to hers. Her hand reached down to take Luz's, holding it tight. She'd told Lilith that her aim was to get powerful enough that nobody would dream of using her again. And that was true. Yes, that was true. But there was another dream, just under that one. "I think I'd like to see your smile every day. If that's okay. If you're okay with that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm completely okay with that." Luz told her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She lay her head against Luz’s shoulder, bit her lip, and then made her second demand. “I’d like to have Dwooty, if there’s anything left of him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure! He’s mostly covered now! Please, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span> take him or Hooty will end up killing again!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll hang it up in Blight Manor. Right above the house words.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Man, that sounds metal. What are your house words?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Death first to vultures and scavengers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?! That’s cool as heck!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I read them in a book and I’ve been trying to get them to catch on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the sky grew from dark blue to black, they held each other and watched, naming the stars as they bloomed in the sky. And she felt safe and happy and warm inside. Tomorrow evening she’d pack up the go-bag she still kept in her room with everything she’d need and leave the portrait of Dwooty uncovered in its place to throw off her parents. Tomorrow. For now she had Luz.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope everyone enjoys the mental image of Lilith going full Charlie Kelly. I’m really enjoying writing this, and the next part is the most fun I’ve ever had writing. I hope you enjoy it too!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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